Bank Holiday festivities

This weekend has been carnival time in Morecambe – the first this century. It used to be a regular event but, like so many things, it fell out of favour. Unfortunately yesterday, the day of the carnival parade, was also a wet day.

It made little difference to us. Out attitude with Bank Holidays is to lock up the doors & wait for it to pass. Wheelchairs & crowds don’t mix.

It has to be admitted I’m not in a very celebratory mood. Last night Derek, Ann’s husband rang with yet more bad news.

Still I do hope the carnival went well. I know Linda, our home help, was really looking forward to going. She was taking her whole family for a day out to see it. She has fond memories of the year when, as a young teenager, she was on one of the floats. She wants her children to experience a carnival.

Certainly Morecambe, like so many seaside towns, needs something to attract the visitors in. Our local economy couldn’t survive without the tourists. It’s just such a pity the rain may have made the event into a damp squib. At least it was dry for the Saturday events.

Today, too, is dry. My washing is drying rapidly on the line. Today is the day for the ending fair at the Wray Scarecrow festival, not so far away from us. Things are happening everywhere this holiday.

And we stay at home & wait for it to pass & life to get back to normal.

Grim news day

Yesterday was a grim day as I caught up on family news.

The first person I rang was my cousin Ann. She apparently was rushed back into hospital after a few days at home. She was still there. Her abdominal area was grossly swollen. She had fluid on her lungs. They drained some of it off on Friday & were going to have another go on Saturday. She has apparently decided, when she’s released from the hospital, she’s going to go into a hospice. Her husband suspects it’s now a matter of weeks before she dies. The cancer has spread to her remaining kidney, lungs, liver & stomach.

After this cheery news I rang my cousin Alma, to wish her a happy 80^th birthday. She, too, was rushed into hospital last week though she’s home for the moment. Her voice was so weak it was almost impossible to hear. Still she was much cheered by the presence of her sister, Trudy, with her family. They were awaiting a supply of oxygen to keep Alma going. Trudy has been fearing Alma wouldn’t even survive to her birthday, but again it sounds as though it’s a matter of weeks, if not days, before the end.

By the end of that phone call I thought I’d best ring our holiday company to change the person to contact in the event of some accident while we’re on holiday.  Ann was my contact person. Whether she’s still alive or not, Ann & her husband will have plenty to worry about over Ann without adding me.

Now I’m just hoping we don’t have funerals to rush off to before we go. Both cousins I think would prefer us to enjoy our holiday rather than cancelling for their sakes, especially if it’s for a funeral.

It was with some relief I spoke to my cousin Michael who is in fine fettle. He’s on no medications & fighting fit. At least one of us doing well.

In the evening my cousin Pat, Michael’s sister, rang. It seems the drug she’s been having for her breast cancer has revealed she has a leaky heart valve. She’s off to the hospital this week to see if she can continue treatment. She hopes so.

We now all wait. And pray.

Overtired

It’s a sure sign of just how tired I am, how much I need a holiday.

Yesterday I managed to have two accidents, only minor ones. The first happened when I ventured into the garden after dinner to put the last slice of garlic bread out for the birds. Neither of us wanted any more.

While I was out, I thought I’d just check the bird feeders. I’ve not kept much of an eye on them since the men started to clear the garden a bit last month. The feeders used to hang from the trellis which has now been dismantled. As a result the feeders are now hanging from a hook on the house building wall, too close to humans & too open for predators. Needless to say there hasn’t been many visitors.

Anyhow I soon discovered some of the seed had got wet & was sprouting a bit & glued together a bit. I decided to loosen up the seeds, putting some on the bird table. As I walked back to the house I managed to walk into a rough low stone wall, badly grazing my lower leg. I’m expecting the bruising to appear any time now. Fortunately I didn’t gush blood, just gained a lot of bloody pinpricks.

That was minor accident number one.

The second happened during the night. I felt the urge to go to the loo. I got up, slamming my head into the nearby wardrobe. The Fox heard the sound of the thwack in the next room, even through a solid wall. My forehead still feels sensitive - another bruise on its way.

I’ve noticed before I get very clumsy when I’m overtired and I’ve certainly been feeling very tired the last couple of weeks.

I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to going away, to have someone else do everything for me, to not have to even think what to make for dinner every day, a spell of complete relaxation. Now we just have to hope the hotel & its environs are as nice as they look in the pictures. Roll on holiday time.